Chapter 5: Two months later: GABE P.O.V
It's amazing how fast time passes when you have someone to spend it with. The 17 years I spent living with my parents seemed to drag on forever. There was one person to talk to but not the way I can talk to Amelia. It's been two months since we..well…got together I guess you could say. Her parents are supposed to come home today and boy, I've never seen her so flustered.
"You need to slow down Amelia. Take some time for yourself right now. The house looks fine. It's not like you had a huge party and now there's a mess." It looks exactly the same as when her parents left. There is no reason for her to be so upset.
"Gabe, shh alright? Ple-" We both turn to the door as we hear the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway. She runs from the dining room table and to the door just in time to open it. Her parents are exciting the car looking happy, but relieved to be home.
"Amelia! Sweetheart, I missed you so, so much! Tell me, how are you?" Her mother embraces her tightly and I can tell it's not very comfortable.
"I'm fine mom…I actually had a really great summer." She looks in my direction and so does her mom, looking extremely confused. Probably about why her daughter is staring at the air. "But mom! How was your trip? Where's dad?"
"Right here! I just had to grab our bags from the car since your Grace couldn't seem to carry anything."
"I told you I would be right out to help you Sam!"
"Well you didn't Gra"
"I'm gonna go out to the mall! I'll be back later. Mind if I drive?" Her parents look surprised that she's cut them off.
"Oh, um. Aright sweetie. That's fine. Just be back at a reasonable time alright?"
"Yeah mom. Ok." She grabs her parents keys and her bag from the table and heads for the door. As she passes me she manages to say something just loud enough for me to hear. "Let's get out of here. Come on." We walk down the drive way and enter the car.
"My goodness, I can't stand them sometimes. See why the house had to be perfect? If it wasn't, it would have given them one more thing to nag about!"
"Amelia calm down. It's fine. You got out, don't let it get to you. And I would like to point out it's not good to drive angry, That's when most accidents occur." She buckles her seat belt fiercely and backs out of the drive way.
"Why would you care? You're already de-" She stops halfway through, realizing what she just said.
"Gabe I'm-"
"No, Amelia. I care because I care about you. Because I really, really care about you. And I wouldn't be able to bear the thought of knowing I could have prevented something bad from happening to you. Now drive. And keep your eyes on the road." She smiles at me before giving the road her eyes. She has calmed down now, but is still a little upset.
"You know…it's going to look awfully strange when you are talking to yourself in public."
"But I won't be. I'll be talking to you…" She's so stubborn sometimes.
"What I mean is that, others won't know you're talking to me. They won't see me."
"I know. But it won't matter because I know your there and I know I'm talking to you."
"Oh…if you say so." We drive the rest of the way in silence, and finally make it to the mall. It's amazing that she can find parking. When I used to come here and watch people, it was always the hardest thing for them to do.
"Remind me why we're here again Amelia."
"I needed to get out. I don't know. It was the first thing that came to mind."
"Right." We enter the building to find it moderately filled, with people running around trying to find things they don't actually need.
"I always wondered what the appeal to shopping was. You know."
"Yep, I get you Ga-"
"Amelia! Hey, Amelia right?" A boy tha looks about our age comes running over from one of the nearby stores. He's tall; not very muscular, actually quite meek; and has brown hair.
"Landon? Hey. Um…How are you?" Landon. Who is he?
"I'm good you know. So hey, I know we talked like once and it was two months ago but it meant something to me. I was wondering if we could hang sometime?" Meant something? Hang sometime? I wish I could give this guy a piece of my mind.
"Landon, we talked about physics. How is that a meaningful conversation?"
"I know, I know. But I don't know what it was, but I haven't stopped thinking about it."
"You haven't stopped thinking about it?" She sounds surprised, like she's taking this into consideration.
"I haven't. Amelia please. Come on. Lets get some coffee, or lunch, or dinner. Or maybe we could go to the dance in a few weeks. You know the one to welcome us all back as seniors? It would be f-" Like he could never stand a chance. It's just, there's something inside me growing, that I think may be jealousy.
"Landon that's sweet really but I don't do dances. And besides, I really would just enjoy being your friend. I have a lot on my plate right now." This sounds awfully familiar.
"…..I understand. But if you change your mind."
"I know, you'll be there. Thanks." He leaves and walks in the direction he came from.
"Well I'm glad that's ove-" She starts to talk to me, but I've already begun to walk away. She actually thought about it. I could hear it in her voice. She thought about leaving to go do something with that guy…who she could actually do things with.
"Gabe! Wait!" She runs after me but I've already made it outside and almost to the car. By the time she reaches it I'm already inside. She gets in the driver's seat.
"Gabe, my goodness. What happened?"
"What happened? What happened? I should be asking you the same! You were the one talking to that guy." She laughs dryly before answering.
"Is that what this is about? You're jealous because I saw someone I know?"
"I'm not jealous. Ok? It's just I could hear it in your voice. Like you wanted to go with him, but I was there so you couldn't. He seems awfully determined to get you to go with him. So why don't you!?" She draws back, looking surprised.
"I didn't and don't want to do anything with him. He's someone from my physics class Gabe. That's it. I didn't go with him because I don't want to hang out with him. I want to spend time with you. Can't you see that?"
"I saw how you reacted when he said he couldn't stop thinking about you."
"Gabe! Yes I was surprised, but wouldn't you be if someone said they couldn't stop thinking about you?"
"I can't stop thinking about you…
"Gabe we see each other every day."
"I know, but when I'm not around you I feel empty, and when he was talking to you I couldn't help but feel jealous, like I might lose you to some guy I've never heard of…I-I love you Amelia." I didn't mean to say the last part. But I don't regret it. It's the first time I've meant it. I don't even remember the last time I said it.
"Gabe! That's not fair…" I'm not sure what she's talking about and it worries me.
"W-what?" She takes her hand sliding it up the back of my neck.
"I wanted to say it first." I don't even have time to react before she presses her lips to mine. It's not hard, or forceful, but urgent. Like she need to get me to understand. And trust me I do.
"Where have you been all my life Amelia?" She smiles and takes my hand.
"Waiting for you Mr. Goodman!" She kisses me and I laugh. She's the only one who has been able to make me do that.
"Let's forget about what happened with Landon. I didn't even want to go to that dance….I would only go with you. But hey! We can do something fun that night, just the two of us." I feel a twinge of guilt at this. She's not going because I can't. Because I'm dead…How I wish there was some way for me to be alive! I smile to her, so she can't see what I'm thinking.
"Sounds good." She smiles back and puts the keys in the ignition and drives away from the mall.
AMELIA P.O.V.
It really threw me off guard, seeing Landon. I certainly wouldn't have expected him to ask me to the senior dance. I mean, I wasn't planning on going…the one person I wanted to go with, I can't obviously…. But that's beside the point, it's just a dance. But Gabe's face….he looked scared. Like he was going to lose me to Landon. I don't even like him! I love Gabe! And he knows it now…and he loves me. Me! If that's not crazy I don't know what is! My first boyfriend is a ghost! It's crazy!
When we pull up into the driveway of my house, I notice another car. One I haven't seen before, but Gabe obviously has. He looks deranged and runs to the door, I follow suit. Having to unlock it to get in, something he doesn't. When I get inside I see my parents sitting at our kitchen table with a man, maybe in his 50s, I don't know. Behind him stands Gabe, he looks at him like he knows him…
"Oh Dan! This is our daughter, Amelia!" Dan? Who's that? He looks from my parents to me, almost studying me.
"Amelia, I've heard so many wonderful things about you. I see you play piano…so does my daughter…" So he has a daughter, ok what else?
"Yeah, I've played for a while. Um...if you don't mind me asking, what's her name?" He smiles and nods. I walk over to the table and sit across from him and next to my parents. Gabe is still behind him staring intently at him.
"Natalie…her name is Natalie." Oh my god…. Oh my god! It makes sense! This…this is Gabe's dad!
"She graduated high school last year. From the same school you're going to. Nice school it is."
"Yeah, I …uh…really like it." The room has grown quiet and we all look at one another, waiting.
"Grace, Sam…would you mind if I talked to Amelia for a few minutes?" He looks at my parents and they nod, getting up.
"Amelia, we're going to the store for some food, should be back in about an hour." Your leaving me with this guy? They exit the hues and I hear the car back out of the driveway.
"….So, Amelia. How do you like the house?"
"It's nice. I actually really like it…"
"Good, good…and um….which room is yours?" This is beginning to get weird…
"The…the one upstairs near the end of the hall…It has the window seat with blue wallpaper…" His face loses some of its color and he just stares at me. I look above him to see that Gabe is now looking at me. His eyes full of raw emotion…..
"That room…why that one?" Why are we having this conversation?
"Well, when we first moved in, it was the only unlocked one, besides the bathroom I think. So that was part of it…But I was also really drawn to it. The way the light shone in, the structure of the room. There was just something about it." He laughs at this and shakes his head.
"Very funny. I'm sure that was on purpose.." He says it to himself….or at least I think he does…
"And Amelia…you haven't noticed anything strange about the house have you?" Oh no…no…no…
"L-like what?" It's now that I notice how dark the room is. I can barely see his face. The blinds are shut and just a single light above the table is on.
"Just anything strange. Seeing things, hearing things?"
"Just the furniture….nothing out of the ordinary." He looks almost disappointed at this, like he'd expected me to just come out and tell him that I've been talking to his dead son. Gabe looks anxious, like he wants to talk. He's so close to jumping out and saying something, I can feel it.
"So he's gone…" His dad whispers it. Finally Gabe can't take it anymore. He takes a chair from the table throwing it to the ground. It hits the floor hard.
"Gabe!" Before I can stop myself I say it. I throw my hand over my mouth and my eyes open wide. Dan whips his head from the chair to me, as does Gabe. They both look wild and I can see the father son resemblance.
"What did you say?" His voice is shaking. I still can't believe what's just happened.
"….Gabe…G-gabe…" I whisper it and look at Gabe. His blue eyes are cold. I can't tell if he's upset at me or just in general.
"Why did you…why did you say that? How do you know that? Who is he to you?"
"I-I…He uh…." I can't finish. The combination of Gabe's eyes boring into me and his dad's into my eyes is too much.
"He's talked to you hasn't he? Hasn't he?" He stands from his chair and grabs the back of it. At the same moment Gabe grabs the table, his knuckles white. I turn my head to to look at them and Dan notices my sudden movement. Something in his face changes and I think he knows Gabe is here.
"You did, didn't you? Did you do what you did to your mother? And to me? Did you?!" He's yelling now, to Gabe. He knows exactly where he's standing though. He can see him?
"Do what to me? He didn't do anything to me." He looks back to me. The fact that I can't see his face bothers me so I run to the wall and turn on the rest of the lights. The entire room illuminates and I can see that Gabe is right in front of his dad now…..he obviously sees it too. Gabe doesn't say anything, just stands there. His dad on the other hand has loads to say.
"Didn't do anything huh Gabe? You didn't ruin her? Didn't follow her and torment her? Or was that just us because you couldn't accept that you weren't apart of our famili-"
"I was more apart than anyone! I looked out for mom! I looked out for her!"
"Excuse me, but I have absolutely no idea what is going on right now." I walk over to Gabe's side, standing across from his dad.
"You don't know….of course you don't. Why would he tell you?" He gestures to Gabe who has directed his stare back at him. I move mine to Gabe.
"Gabe…What's he talking about? Didn't ruin me? What is this all about?"
"Nothing Amelia. Noth-"
"Nothing Gabe? You think driving your to attempt suicide and leave was nothing?! You think overshadowing your sister in her eyes was nothing? You aren't even real!"
"Suicide! Gabe what the hell is going on?!" I am actually quite confused and worried now.
"Do you want to tell her or do you want me to?" Gabe doesn't respond right away, just looks to the ground and then to me. He looks even more scared than this morning with Landon.
"My mom…she….she was the only one in our family he took note of my existence. Even though I'd been dead 16 years I had grown up like any normal kid would. But….but after a while she realized that she was imagining…making me up. And she went to the doctors. They gave her all sorts of drugs…And….uh….well one day while going through things to get rid of she found a box of things from around the time I was born…and um…well we uh talked. And I convinced her that there was a way to be together….if she…if she stopped taking the pills and…" He trails off and hangs his head.
"And you drove her away Gabe…from all of us."
"I know dad!" He yells it. It's the first time I've really seen him so upset and I take a step back…it really startled me. Gabe sees this and immediately his eyes soften. He reaches out his hand but I take another step back. His expression drops, but his hand doesn't.
"Amelia please. You know I'm not like that….not anymore. I was crazed then….I needed to be apart of somethi-….Please! Don't look at me that way." He's pleading with me but I stay in my spot. I'm not really scared, just shocked. Gabe never seemed that way around me. He was always so sweet….I know what he was like in the past, but he's different now.
"You see Gabe. You've done nothing but drive people away." That's not true. I will not leave him. Eve if the truth hurts.
"Mr. Goodman I think it would be best if you left."
"But I-"
"Mr. Goodman please." My voice is strong and I turn to face him. He looks upset and confused but agrees. He turns from the room and walks to the door.
"I hope you know what you're doing Amelia." And with that he exits the house. I can hear Gabe's heavy breathing from behind me. I turn to face him and see him gripping the chair. He looks at me, his eye's looking hurt and tired, before disappearing, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Author's Note: Look, I finally updated! Sorry it's been so long. I had my first case of writers block. Oh no! But it's ok now. So anyway as usual, let me know what you think. I also would like to apologize for the spelling errors, I don't have word on my laptop. All of my stories are saved in my notes on my mac. Sorry about that. I'm trying to catch all errors before I post but some I can't. Anyway, please read and review! Thanks!
Thatoneegirl